Friends of Tibet march in Taipei
　

SHARED DESTINY?: While showing their usual support for the Tibetan cause, participants this year also shared their fears and questions about the future of Taiwan
　

By Loa Iok-sin
STAFF REPORTER
Sunday, Mar 15, 2009, Page 1
　

Thousands of people marched in the streets of Taipei yesterday to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan Uprising and show their support for Tibetans’ struggle for freedom.

“We Tibetans have been in exile for 50 years. The Chinese government tries hard to make us forget who we are — but we will not,” Regional Tibetan Youth Congress Taiwan chairman Tashi Tsering told the crowd before the march began.

“I was born in exile, but I never forget who I am, what my country is, and we all firmly believe that Tibet will become independent again,” Tashi said, as the crowd answered with a resounding “Free Tibet!”

Nine years after China invaded Tibet in 1950, Tibetans launched an uprising during which the Tibetan political and religious leader, the Dalai Lama, went into exile in India, with tens of thousands of Tibetans following.

Tibetans continued to fight Chinese rule, resulting in more than 1.2 million deaths, Tibet support groups and the Tibetan government in exile have said.

The march started at the Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT station in Taipei and went through busy shopping districts.

Many shoppers joined in.

“Tibetans want to go home,” “China, get out of Tibet!” the demonstrators shouted as they marched, holding Tibetan flags, a large portrait of the Dalai Lama and various placards.

At 3:10pm, the procession stopped and observed a minute of silence for Tibetans killed in their struggle for freedom.

Several key figures from the Democratic Progressive Party took part in the rally.

Chinese democracy activist Cai Lujun (蔡陸軍) was also among the crowd.

“Opposing dictatorship and tyranny is a universal value that goes beyond nationalities or races,” Cai said. “Ignoring what’s going on in Tibet today is ignoring what will happen to Taiwan tomorrow.”

Aside from showing their usual support for Tibetans, many demonstrators this year voiced their worries about Taiwan’s future.

“We can see that freedom of speech and freedom of press are deteriorating in Taiwan, especially after Ma Ying-jeou [馬英九] took over as president [last year],” said Eric Chang (張浩明), a young demonstrator. “If we don’t stand up now, our fate could be the same as that of Tibetans.”

Weng Chih-ming, a 31-year-old technology company engineer, said he supported Tibet out of a sense of justice as a human being, adding that he didn’t want Taiwan to fall “under China’s dictatorship.”

An elementary school teacher surnamed Fu (傅) expressed similar concerns.

“I don’t want Taiwan to become like Tibet … I don’t want our next generation to live a hard life under Chinese rule,” Fu said.

Erinn Law, a Canadian who has been living in Taiwan for five years, echoed Chang’s view.

“Not enough people know about what’s going on [in Tibet], so we need to [speak up],” she said, clearly excited by the large crowd that had gathered for this year’s event.

“I don’t want what happened to Tibet to happen to Taiwan, because I love Taiwan,” she said.

Ma ‘naive’ on PRC law: forum
　

WEAK STATEMENT: Pundits say President Ma Ying-jeou was a vocal critic of China’s ‘Anti-Secession’ Law when he was Taipei mayor, but is now quiet by comparison
　

By Ko Shu-ling
STAFF REPORTER
Sunday, Mar 15, 2009, Page 3

The idea that China would scrap its “Anti-Secession” Law out of consideration for the Taiwanese public is just a pipe dream, an academic attending a cross-strait forum said yesterday after the government said China should scrap the law.

“They are either naive or have a low IQ,” said Wang Szu-wei (王思為), a professor at Nanhua University’s department of non-profit organization management. “If [Beijing] had taken into consideration the feelings of the Taiwanese people in the first place, it would never have made the law.”

Wang made the remarks at a forum on “China’s ‘Anti-Secession’ Law and the Development of Cross-Strait Relations” when asked for comment on a Presidential Office statement yesterday marking the law’s fourth anniversary.

The Presidential Office said the “Anti-Secession” Law was “unnecessary” because the cross-strait detente was a reciprocal process in which both sides must show goodwill.

Wang said it was “ridiculous” for a government to make such a remark because a responsible administration should use its leverage to make demands rather than hoping Beijing will show some goodwill.

The statement was “politically incorrect” and “showy diplomatic language aimed at placating the public on a special occasion,” Wang said.

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was a vocal critic of the law during his terms as Taipei mayor and during his campaign for the presidency. By comparison, he has been quiet on the issue since taking office in May, critics said.

Wang Kun-yi (王崑義), a professor at National Taiwan Ocean University, said the Presidential Office’s statement was as useless as “a dog barking at a train.”

Wang Kun-yi said that while Beijing had never strayed from its goal of unification, it had adjusted its strategy, adopting a softer approach.

A recent example was Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s (溫家寶) wish to visit Taiwan, Wang Kun-yi said.

Wen said on Friday that he would like to visit Taiwan someday, even if old age meant he could not walk and had to crawl.

Another example was a reported invitation to former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) to visit China, Wang Kun-yi said. While Beijing previously invited only politicians who accepted “one China,” it now welcomes anyone who supports peaceful development in the Strait to visit in any capacity, he said.

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) might be the most reluctant to see Lu visit China because Beijing has always insisted on the “one China” principle in dealing with KMT figures, he said.

The incident also highlighted the power struggle within China, he said, adding that many politicians hoped to score political points by making Lu’s trip possible.

George Liu (劉志聰), a researcher at Nanhua University’s Center for Peace and Strategic Studies, said the government’s foreign policy depended entirely on Beijing’s goodwill to gain observer status at the World Health Assembly this year.

“If [Beijing] is happy with Ma’s performance, it might let us in, but if he makes [China] unhappy next year, it will make us suffer,” he said.

Liu blamed the communication platform between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party for bringing about the “Anti-Secession” Law.

Liu said Beijing’s goal was to eliminate support for independence and advance its unification agenda. The KMT on the other had, would do whatever it takes to stay in power, for which it will require China’s assistance, he said.

Later last night, a rally was staged in front of the Presidential Office to protest the “Anti-Secession” Law and the Ma administration’s policies, which the protesters slammed as skewed toward China.

Around 1,000 people participated in the rally organized by the Taiwan National Congress, an alliance of more than 20 local and international groups supporting independence.
　

Rohrabacher to leave Taiwan Caucus position
　

DIFFERENCE OF OPINION: The US congressman said in an interview that his resignation was the result of a growing gap in goals between him and Taiwan
　

By Nadia Tsao
STAFF REPORTER , WASHINGTON
Sunday, Mar 15, 2009, Page 3

US Representative Dana Rohrabacher, one of the most ardent pro-Taiwan legislators in Washington on Thursday said he would resign from his position as co-chairman of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, saying his support for the Taiwan Caucus would be pointless when Taiwan was working with autocratic China rather than fighting against it.

Rohrabacher made the remarks in an interview with Voice of America aired on Thursday.

Rohrabacher said in the interview that his resignation was primarily the result of a growing gap in goals between him and Taiwan’s government.

Rohrabacher said that he firmly believed in opposing autocracy, but if Taiwanese voters via a democratic election have chosen to cooperate with China, then his participation was inconsequential.

The Congressional Taiwan Caucus has four co-chairs, of which two are leaving, both of whom are Republicans. Representative Steve Chabot lost his bid for re-election last year.

While Chabot and Rohrabacher, along with Democratic Representative Shelley Berkley, have been avid supporters of Taiwan, the fourth co-chair, Robert Wexler, now seldom participates in Taiwan-related proposals or attends related events.

Rohrabacher has supported a number of Taiwan-friendly proposals and has on many occasions upset Beijing by greeting Taiwanese presidents Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) during flight transit stops in the US.